Are you interested in spatial ecology, species distributions, and plant functional traits? Do you want to contribute to understanding global patterns of plant diversity, and plant responses to environmental change?
Deadline 25 Oct '26 Published 2026-09-30
Job description
Are you interested in spatial ecology, species distributions, and plant functional traits? Do you want to contribute to understanding global patterns of plant diversity, and plant responses to environmental change?
Conserving biodiversity in a rapidly changing world requires understanding why some species occupy vast geographic ranges while others remain restricted to small areas. Traditionally, efforts to answer this question have focused on understanding and predicting the distributions of individual species. However, recent advances in biodiversity and trait datasets have expanded our capacity to incorporate the functional characteristics of species, allowing us to go beyond the species concept and better capture the variation in biota using functional traits across different levels of biological organisation.
This PhD position explores how functional traits influence global patterns of plant biodiversity and plant responses to environmental change. The project focuses on three different levels of organisation, ranging from broad functional forms that capture major ecological plant strategies (e.g. tree, epiphyte, shrub), to finer levels of organisation among species (inter-specific variation) and within species (intra-specific variation). As a PhD candidate, you will make use of large trait databases like TRY and BIEN, and be responsible for setting up a greenhouse experiment similar to that of a provenance trial set-up (i.e. growing seeds collected from across a species’ native geographic range under varying environmental conditions). Specifically, your duties and responsibilities include:
- Collating plant distributions, functional traits, and environmental data from various sources
- Setting-up and conducting a greenhouse experiment to assess variation in plant phenotypic plasticity under simulated environmental conditions
- Publishing your research in peer-reviewed journals and presenting your research at (inter)national conferences
- Mentoring BSc/MSc students
You will work here
The research is embedded within the Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation group, which is led by Prof. David Kleijn. You will be supervised by Dr. Coline Boonman and Dr. Amanda Taylor. Prof. David Kleijn is the promotor.
Requirements
You have the following personal competencies and skills:
- A successfully completed MSc degree in ecology, environmental sciences or a related field
- Experience handling large biodiversity datasets and environmental data
- Highly proficient in data analysis in R and strong quantitative and statistical expertise
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
- The ability to work independently and collaboratively
For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language.
Conditions of employment
Fixed-term contract: 18 months.
Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:
- Partially paid parental leave;
- working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
- there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
- a fixed year-end bonus of 8.3%;
- excellent pension scheme.
In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.
The gross salary for the first year is € 3.204,- per month rising to € 4.051,- in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.
We encourage development and internal mobility within our organisation. Our recruitment and selection policy sets out the conditions that apply specifically to you as a (former) employee. If you have any questions, we are happy to help.
You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment.
Employer
Wageningen University & Research
The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 students and over 150,000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.
Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch the video below to get an idea of our green campus!
We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.
Additional information
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.
Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.
Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, our Welcome Center can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example housing, opening a bank account, dual career programs or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.
Join us and come work at WUR
At Wageningen University & Research, you work at improving the quality of life. Together with your colleagues, you seek to answer the challenges within our domain 'healthy food and living environment.'
